


Hawaiian Counterpunch

by AsherTye



Category: Total Drama Island
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-04
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-04 06:42:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/707726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsherTye/pseuds/AsherTye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set at the end of World Tour to ease my irritation over Cody being so unceremoniously eliminated.  The final episode as Cody works to prove he can hang with the finalists, seeking to take the prize for the whole game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Total Drama, be it Island, Action, or World Tour. This story is being done purely for fun, not profit. If someone says I’m selling this for money, they’re a dirty, rotten, no good, liar. If you give someone money for this… Well you’re rather foolish aren’t you since I’m putting it here for free, huh?
> 
> Author’s Note: So it’s officially over. The Tour has ended. Heather won. Or Alejandro if you went online to see the official alternate ending. Of course, as I watched the episode, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to call the police because Cody was ROBBED!!   
> ^_^  
> Okay, so the truth is yes, I felt Cody’s elimination was mishandled. In all honesty I can handle him coming in third (and yes, knew about it from spoilers for quite a while) no problem, but I couldn’t help but think it something of a gyp that he gotten taken out so quickly, especially after all the hoopla leading up to the finale. Especially when you consider the fact that the tie-breaker even had to occur was something of fluke. Couple that with the fact that I’ve been wanting to write a fanfic featuring the Dramsters for a while now, and you have a recipe for a fix-fic. 
> 
> I would also like to thank BaconSandwhichMan whose story “In One Fell Swoop” inspired me to even try this. If you’re looking for a good story after this one, go and read it. So, on with the SHOW!

“Welcome back,” Chris McLean announced to the cameras, his arms held out wide in a big welcoming gesture as though he was greeting his dearest friends. “Last time on Total Drama World Tour, we found ourselves stranded in Alberta, Canada when my plane was blown up thanks to someone who will remain SIERRA!” At this last word the handsome host became visibly angry, grinding his perfect teeth hard as his eyes shut tightly. After a moment or two, Chris regained his composure. “Anyways, thanks to my inherent brilliance, the show was spared from coming to a grinding halt for the second time when I had the remaining contestants race to Hawaii, with the first two to arrive automatically becoming the finalists for the show.” As the host spoke, clips from the last episode appeared on screen to illustrate his narration.

“Alejandro spent the majority of the trip trying to get sweet revenge on Heather for attempting to vote him off in the previous episode, even enlisting the aid of everyone’s favorite prairie boy, Ezekiel, to do so. But Little Miss Attitude proved she could give as good as she got, rubbing the Latin Mastermind the wrong way at every chance she could as well.

“Meanwhile back in last place, Cody was wrestling with some serious feelings of inadequacy that threatened to cause him to throw the game. Lame. Fortunately for him, his ever-present stalker Sierra was on hand to light the fire back under the Code-Meister. Literally. With fireworks even. Classic.

“Skip ahead to Tijuana Beach, where all three competitors made it to our waiting speed boats for the second leg of the journey. Still angry at Heather, Alejandro tried to play bumper boats with the girl of his dreams, an act that inadvertently gave her the lead. Left to their own devices, Alejandro and Cody did what came natural. Grabbed a pair of swordfish and had a sword fight. The viewers loved it. Being uncharacteristically sneaky, Cody lost to Alejandro on purpose, allowing Mr. Smarmy to meet our good friend, Mr. Water Mine.

“In the end, it was Heather who reached the island first, much to the great joy of all her friends and cast-mates. And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in London to sell you. When it came to the second slot, however, we ran into a little problem. While it looked like Cody was going to beat the odds and win, Alejandro was able to do his impression of a bad penny, turning up just in time to turn a sure win into a tie. And unfortunately we ran out of episode time before we could hold a tie-breaker. So sad.

“So now the question on everyone’s mind is: who will Heather face in the finals; the Master of the Silvered Tongue; Alejandro, or everyone’s favorite gap-toothed geek; Cody? After which the question will be who will finally, FINALLY win this game and take home the million? To find out, stay tuned here for the grand finale of Total… Drama… WOOOOOORLD TOOOOUR!!” Behind Chris, several bright fireworks shot into the air and exploded in a glorious display of pyrotechnics.

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(Begin Theme Song  
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Back on the Hawaiian beach, Chris still stood with a smile on his face. To his left stood Cody, Alejandro, and Heather, while to his right some bleachers had been set up to hold the peanut gallery, now joined by Sierra in a new wheelchair. Heather noticed the eliminated travelers and a worried look crossed her face.

“What are they doing here?” the Queen Bee asked irritably as a sinking feeling appeared in her stomach. “And why are they split up into groups like that?” Chris let loose one of his patented laughs.

“The peanut gallery has been brought back because they’re going to play a very important role in today’s competition. And where they’re sitting shows off which contestant they’re supporting.” As if on cue, the others each raised a flag with a picture of the face of the competitor they supported. It bothered Heather that none of the flags had her face on them, at least until Owen slid one between Blainely’s bandages, earning a glare from the convalescing interviewer. 

Cody on the other hand was quite touched that most of the flags bore his visage. Someone had even been nice enough to bring an extra flag for Sierra so she wouldn’t be left out. Meanwhile Alejandro gave his followers an appraising eye, his agile mind calculating what strings he might have to pull to widen his base.

“Of course,” McLean continued, “we have a little problem we need to solve. It seems we have one too many teens here to make a believable Final Two. So we’re gonna have ourselves a good ol’ fashioned tiebreaker.” After saying this, Chris turned back to the camera. “But first, since this IS the final tiebreaker, we decided to set up the ever-trusty Confession Cam and let our finalists vent one last time, just for old time’s sake.”

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**Confession Cam. – Cody.**

Cody sat down before the camera, a pleased smile on his face

“Who would have guessed it? Me. ME! In the Final Two… ish. I never would have believed it if I hadn’t been here myself. And now I’m this close to getting the million dollars,” he said, pinching the air to illustrate. “The only thing standing in my way is,” a sudden fearful expression crossed the brunette’s face as he trembled a bit, “Alejandro. Seriously, how am I supposed to beat that guy?” Cody suddenly grabbed the camera, shaking it. “He’s gonna destroy me!” The young tech-geek began to hyperventilate for a few seconds before regaining some control of himself. “But I can’t just give up. Did you see all the people holding flags with my face on them? They’re counting on me to win. And that’s not even thinking about everyone watching at home who want the same. If I just give this up without a fight, I’ll never be able show my face in public again. But if I try to beat him… I’ll get CREAMED.” Cody sat back in the chair, staring owlishly at the camera. “So this is what a high pressure situation feels like.”

**Confession Cam – Alejandro**

Alejandro was already sitting in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest and a knowing smile on his face.

“For the record, it was always my intention to allow Heather to take first place in the race,” he said with a flourish. “A true gentleman always allows a lady to go first whenever possible.” A sudden, sinister look crossed the Latin mastermind’s face. “And it will make it so much more delicious when I crush her in the final challenge, taking the million dollars that is rightfully mine right out from under her.” It was at this point that the Spaniard’s massive shoulders slumped and he looked depressed. “But how am I going to explain tying with that noodle armed little geek?” The tanned teen slapped his forehead in dismay. “I bet my older brother Jose is already composing a list of jokes at my expense over this.” Alejandro slammed a fist into his palm. “I must eliminate the nerdling and regain my honor.”

**Confession Cam – Heather**

The raven-haired popular girl sat in the chair, her legs crossed and her hands in her lap as she looked at the camera.

“So here I am, a guaranteed spot in the Final Two. It’s been three full seasons and now I have another shot at getting the prize money. Am I nervous? DUH!” she said, raising her hands in exasperation. “I’m all alone here, and I don’t even know who I’m going to be facing for the million. There’s no way I can beat Cody if Chris makes this a vote by the peanut gallery, but Alejandro’s not exactly a pushover either. My only hope is if the final contest involves some sort of disgusto eating competition. Neither of those two could stomach something like that, so I’m a shoe-in.” A disturbed look suddenly crossed Heather’s face, followed by one of disgust. “What does it say that I’m actually hoping to eat something disgusting?”

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As the camera shifts back to the beach, Chris looked particularly pleased with the confessional. Over with the finalists, Heather smirked as she looked at Alejandro.

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” she remarked, causing the Spaniard to shiver slightly.

“He is of no consequence,” Alejandro retorted. “Whatever japes and barbs he might have will soon be for naught when I become a millionaire.” Heather snickered a bit at this sudden bravado, she knew something about annoying brothers herself. Cody watched this with a hint of nervousness. He didn’t like how chummy the two dirtiest players in the game were getting.

“All right, time for our tie breaker,” Chris announced, mugging for the camera again. “Heather since you won the last competition, we think it’s only fair you get a say in how we decide who you’re opponent is. So you have a choice, you can either choose the challenge Cody and Alejandro will compete in, or you can let the boys decide for themselves.” This proclamation caused the host to smile. At the sound of what she considered a fairly stupid question, Heather cast him a haughty look.

“As if I’d let these two idiots pick their challenge,” she said with great finality, looking away from the boys as her hands gripped her hips. With her nose in the air, the Queen Bee completely missed the evil grin Chris McLean was now giving her.

“I was soooo hoping you’d say that,” he said, laughing. The camera panned over to reveal Chef Hatchet, dressed in a checkered sarong, sandals, and nothing else, pushing a large glass cabinet onto the scene. Above the cabinet sat what looked like a second glass case filled with white balls that each had something written on them. Nearby Geoff and Bridgette, the co-hosts of the aftermath specials, stood with friendly smiles on their faces. 

_‘Oh what fresh hell is this?’_ Heather asked herself as she looked worriedly at the cabinet.

“Okay Heather, if you would please just step into our Cabinet O’ Challenges,” Chris said, helping the Queen Bee into the tiny prison with a sharp push to the back. “The idea here is simple, even for you guys. All Heather has to do is grab one of the balls as we release them into the cabinet. Whatever challenge is written on the ball, that’s what Al and the Code-man have to do. Fun, right?”

“This’ll be easy,” Heather boasted. “I already see the one I want. All I have to do is wait for it to bounce out and you two are toast.”

“We’ll see. Chef, HIT IT!” At Chris’s command, the burly co-host flipped the switch on the side of the cabinet, starting up the machine in the top part. One of the white balls shot out of a tube and into the chamber Heather occupied. The girl ignored it at first, only to get a pained look when the ball ricocheted off the wall and slammed into her arm, causing her to grab hold of the injured flesh.

“OUCH! Are these… GOLF BALLS!?” she yelled, startling both Geoff and Bridgette as the peanut gallery laughed. 

“What?” the surfer girl asked, her eyes wide in horror. “I swear we filled it with ping-pong balls.”

“I know,” Chris explained. “But don’t worry, I’m not mad, just disappointed. Thankfully we caught it in time to correct the mistake.” At this point several more golf balls had been released into Heather’s cabinet, bouncing around wildly as Heather struggled to avoid being pummeled. Every so often a scream of pain was heard as a ball hit its mark, much to the amusement of quite a few members of the peanut gallery. 

One of the golf balls got up enough speed that it managed to break free of the confining cabinet, breaking through the glass wall as it was launched towards the bleachers. Seeing that the ball was on a collision course for Lindsay’s pretty face, Tyler acted to save his girlfriend, reaching out to catch the ball. Unfortunately for the Sporto, he misjudged how far he’d needed to reach to grab the ball, overextending his body. Though he did manage to stop the hard projectile from striking Lindsay’s pretty face, nothing was there to stop the same thing from happening to him.

“Tyler!” Lindsay yelled as the ball bounced off the jock’s skull, knocking him loopy so that he fell into her lap. The blonde bombshell cooed as she stroked her boyfriend’s head, hoping he would be all right. 

After a few more minutes, Heather stumbled out of the cabinet, gagging as she collapsed to her hands and knees before Chris.

“What, no golf ball?” the stubbly heart-throb admonished with a frown. “You can’t leave the cabinet without a golf ball! Get back in there and…” With a hard cough, Heather managed to expel what she had been choking on, a golf ball as it were. “Well okay then,” Chris said cheerfully as he walked over to the ball and picked it up, oblivious to the daggers Heather was glaring at him. Wiping off the spit covered sphere, McLean read the challenge written on it, laughing once he’d done so. “Oh sweet,” he proclaimed, turning back to Cody and Alejandro, both of whom were casting worried looks at each other. “You two are in for a fun time. You’ll be competing in a traditional Hawaiian FIRE DANCE OF DEATH.”

“Fire dance?” Cody nervously gulped, not liking the sound of that at all. “Uh, you are gonna have, like, firemen around, right? Just in case.”

“Yes, because that is just so how Chris operates, isn’t it,” Alejandro snidely responded, picking up on his opponent’s nervousness. “Don’t worry if you’re scared, chiquito, I promise to be gentle with you,” he lied, smiling nastily at the gap toothed geek. Realizing he was being taunted, Cody responded with a defiant glare, or at least as a defiant as his features would allow. 

“Well I’m glad to see you’re both raring to go,” Chris interrupted, appearing between the two boys and placing a cordial arm on each of their shoulders. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take a few minutes for our interns to set up the challenge, but that should be just enough time for you two to get into the costumes we’re going to provide. If you’ll just follow Chef here to the changing area.”

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**Confession Cam – Alejandro**

Alejandro laughed delightedly.

“This couldn’t have gone better if I’d planned it,” he proudly stated, smiling at the camera in triumph. “I’m stronger, faster, and more agile than Cody could be on his best day. Why doesn’t Chris just hand me the second spot?”

**Confession Cam – Cody**

Cody looked quite nervous, but an air of determination sat with him as well.

“Okay, so I figure if I can just avoid Al’s attacks, I can keep from getting eliminated. Then it’s just a matter of finding the right moment to strike.” Carefully Cody considered the predicament. “I just hope there’s enough room to evade.”

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Chris smiled as Alejandro and Cody returned to the beach, both wearing grass skirts and, oddly enough, coconut bras. Neither one looked entirely comfortable in their new duds, but neither one was ready to leave. Out on the water the interns were pushing a floating platform into place, a thick wooden stake jutting out from its center; quite obviously the arena on which they would be battling. As he looked at the small space on which he would be taking on his nemesis, Cody’s mind managed to sum up his predicament quite nicely.

_‘Craaaaaap.’_

Alejandro and Cody got onto the boat that would take them to their battle.

“Hey, what do you creeps think you’re doing?!” Heather suddenly yelled as two of the interns forced her on as well. “I’m not in this!”

“I thought since you went to all the trouble to choose this particular challenge, you’d like a front row seat to see it,” Chris explained as the boat puttered out to the platform. With some doing, Heather was soon tied to the stake, though not without the interns suffering some scratches and kicks for their trouble. Cody and Alejandro where both handed long poles with thick pads at both ends. “And so we will begin our tiebreaker, the traditional Hawaiian Fire Dance of Death.”

“I fail to see how traditional it is for a MALE warrior to be wearing a coconut bra,” Alejandro pointed out, still clearly a little miffed over being forced to wear such an item on television.

“Dude, just deal with it,” Chris admonished. “Now the rules are simple. The first one to successfully untie our resident Queen Bee wins and becomes the second contender for the Final Two.” A sly expression came over Alejandro’s face.

“A thought occurs,” he announced, his eyes darting between Cody and Heather as he sized them up. “What if neither of us unties poor Heather?”

“Don’t even think about it you chiseled cheater!” Heather barked back, glaring at her rival.

“‘Chiseled’ you say?” the Spaniard said with a smirk causing the raven-haired beauty’s eyes to widen. 

“Chiseling! I meant chiseling cheater!”

“AHEM!” Chris yelled, breaking up the verbal tit-for-tat. “In answer to Al’s question, it ain’t happening. One of you has to untie Heather for the contest to be ended. And for added incentive, you might want to stay out of the water. Starting… … … NOW!” Beside Chris, Chef notched two arrows with slabs of meat on their tips into a bow, firing them towards the platform. From the water, two giant sharks jumped into the air, each snatching some meat before diving back underwater. Once more both of the boys gave each other nervous glances.

“I am soooo glad I’m not in this game anymore,” Duncan said, laughing. Around him the rest of the cast seemed just a little more mortified at what they’d seen.

“All right, the contest can commence... NOW!” At Chris’s cue, two more arrows, these ones on fire, flew from Chef’s bow to strike the platform on two of its ends, igniting the fire-pots that had been set up to add ambience to the event..

Alejandro took a confident step towards his opponent, twirling his weapon in one hand as he did so. Not to be outdone, and with no real place to run like he’d planned, Cody moved to meet the Latin Archenemy. Deciding that Fortune might just favor the bold, the gap-toothed geek jabbed his weapon forward with all his might, his strike being met by Alejandro’s own pole and a loud crack. But beyond that, the villainous contestant only barely noticed.

“You do not seriously think you can win, do you?” Alejandro asked as he returned the strike, forcing Cody backwards with great ease. He planned on toying with the elder teen before dispatching him. 

_‘A good preview of what Heather shall face in the finals,’_ he thought to himself as he made a wide, telegraphed swing at Cody. Cody scrambled to the left, trying to keep some distance between himself and the Latin Lothario. From the beach, the cheering sounds of the eliminated contests reached the competitor’s ears, pushing them onward.

“Come on Codikins, you can do it!” Sierra cried to her former “husband.”

“Beat that slimy eel!” Noah yelled. “Show him he can’t push people around just because he’s bigger, stronger, and…!”

“Not helping,” Trent hissed as he clamped down on the know-it-all’s lips.

“The kiwis dude, go for the kiwis!” Harold advised. Of course all of the cheering was not exclusively for Cody, as evidenced by Courtney’s standing on top of the bleachers and waving her hands.

“Come on Alejandro, squish him! Squish him like a BUG!” she yelled nastily, clapping her hands together and rubbing them as if to demonstrate.

“A-L-E-H-A-N-D-R-O! Al-e-jan-dro… Let’s GO!” Katie and Sadie cheered in unison, causing a few of their cast-mates to look at them funny.

“You two do know ‘Alejandro’ is spelled with a ‘j,’ not an ‘h,’ right?” Gwen asked the duo, who looked somewhat confused by this.

“Isn’t that sweet,” Alejandro said as he made a downward swing which Cody blocked with his weapon, “all you’re little friends are cheering for you as if you can actually win.” The tanned teen applied a bit more pressure to the paler one, forcing him back and closer to the walls of fire. Cody cast a fearful glance backward, feeling the heat on his head and shoulders.

“I’m too young to die,” he cried, then added, “or fry.” Desperately he shifted his weight, trying to find a way to counter Alejandro’s superior strength. From her position tied to a stake, Heather watched the contest in aggravation. Suddenly the sound of something striking the wood above her head caused her to look upward. An arrow had just buried itself in the wooden column. A flaming arrow.

“Uh guys, quit fooling around here!” Heather yelled as the flames slowly creeped down towards her newly re-grown hair. If either of the boys heard her, they were too preoccupied trying to beat each other senseless to care.

_‘I have to end this quickly, or I won’t be in any condition to be in the finals!’_ Heather thought, her eyes casting about for some idea on how to accomplish this task. The first thing her gaze found was Sierra. Sitting in a wheelchair. At that moment, instinct took over.

“Oh no, look! Sierra’s just rolled into quicksand!” she yelled. This did the trick.

“What?” Cody asked, slipping out of the grapple with Alejandro to turn and check up on his friend. “Somebody help her!” 

“Cody NO!” Sierra yelled, realizing what had just happened.

_‘Jackpot,’_ the Spaniard thought as he swung his poll, knocking Cody’s own from his hands. “Consider yourself disarmed,” he said as the pole flew out of the tech-geek’s grasp. 

“NO!” Cody wailed as he watched it land in the water and sink out of his reach. A wicked smile crossed Alejandro’s face as he pulled back for another swing.

“And now, dis-platformed!” he yelled as he made his attack, fully intending to bat the scrawny teen into the shark infested water. _‘Suitable revenge for blowing me up in the previous episode.’_

“Oof!” Cody cried as the pad at the end of the pole hit him right in the mid-section and he folded up. Cody’s feet soon left the platform, but that didn’t stop him from holding onto the stick as it swung around. Unprepared for the addition of the other boy’s mass, Alejandro’s sense of balance was thrown off and he soon found himself switching places with the gap toothed one as they spun around out of control.

“Aaah!” was the last thing to leave the Latin mastermind’s mouth as he fell backwards, off the platform and into the water. A second “Oof” escaped Cody’s own lips as he landed rather roughly on his butt… and still on the platform.

For a few brief moments, silence reigned. Even the sharks seemed stunned by what had happened, as evidenced by the fact they weren’t after the fallen Alejandro. Then the silence was broken.

“YAAAAAH!!” came the resounding cheer from the peanut gallery as they realized what had happened. On the platform, as the ramifications of what he had just done finally sunk in, the stunned expression on Cody’s face became a wide, wide smile.

“I won? I WON!” he yelled as he jumped to his feet, leaping again and again in the air as he pumped his fists. At about the fifth jump the brunette boy slipped a little and nearly sent himself over the platform’s edge as well, only managing to stop himself by falling to all fours. Grinning embarrassedly and resolving to keep both feet planted firmly on the wood, Cody continued to play to the crowd, posing and flexing as the others cheered and whistled for him. “I did IT. I DID it! Did you see? I won, I beat Alejandro!!”

“Yes, you did it, good job. Now can you UNTIE ME!” Heather yelled, reminding the geek of his obligations. The fire was getting entirely too close for the Queen Bee’s comfort. Quickly Cody moved over to the stake and untied Heather, just as the motorboat from before docked with the platform. Two interns dressed in fire-safety suits hopped off and began spraying down the flames with fire extinguishers as a third waved for the finalists to board. Soon Cody and Heather were back on the beach as Chris approached them, a gleeful smile on his stubbly face.

“That. Was. Awesome!” he declared, his arms wide. “Seriously, I don’t think anyone could have predicted something like that.”

“Ahem,” came an indignant cough from Team Cody which Chris blithely ignored.

“And so it’s my pleasure to announce that the Final Two Competition shall feature Heather and Co-”

“I must most strenuously object!” Alejandro yelled as he came up on shore, the disappointed sharks swimming away behind him. The handsome host favored the Spanish teen with an annoyed glare. He did not like being upstaged. “I am the one who disarmed Cody first. You cannot allow him to steal a victory simply because of a… a FLUKE. I should have been the one to untie Heather!”

“Oh I agree completely,” Chris admitted. “Especially since THAT was the point of the game.”

“What?”

“I told you, the one who untied Heather first was the one who would be in the finals with her. It doesn’t matter if you had Cody tied down on train tracks fifty miles away, until Heather was safely untied, the game was still going.” Then Chris favored Alejandro with a mean-spirited look. “In fact, Cody actually didn’t win until HE untied Heather either, so he was celebrating prematurely. If you had gotten back up on the platform, you could have just knocked him off and got the victory yourself. Too bad you were busy playing with my sharks, huh? Heck, if you hadn’t wanted to play around, you could have probably just knocked Cody down and held him there while you untied Heather.”

“Hey!” Cody protested, sensing he’d been insulted.

“Or maybe even just slapped him away if he got too close to Heather,” Chris continued, ignoring the indignant squawk of the geeky winner. “I mean, there are literally dozens of ways you could have beaten Cody, but you just couldn’t pull it off, could you?”

“All right, all right, I get it!” the angry Alejandro barked, ripping off the coconut bra that was still wrapped around his chest and throwing it at the host. Fearing for the safety of his handsome face, Chris grabbed the item out of the air and watched as the defeated Archenemy stomped off to change. Finally he turned back to the camera.

“Phew, thought we were gonna have another Courtney on our hands,” the demented star said, ducking just in time to avoid the large coconut said girl had flung at him. 

“Oh will you stop drawing this out,” Heather angrily demanded of the host, surprising him.

“Well what’s your problem?” he asked of the Queen Bee. “You’re the one who had a guaranteed spot in the finals.” But Heather’s anger would not be slowed.

“We all know how this is going to end,” she pointed out sulkily. “Just let those ungrateful jerks vote already so Cody can get the money and we can all finally go home.” At this, Chris looked somewhat confused, as evidenced by the manly eyebrow he raised at the raven-haired beauty.

“Vote?” he asked. “Who said anything about a vote? That’s how we ended season two, remember? Duncan won that one… or was it Beth?” Chris muddled this question over for a few seconds. “Meh, it doesn’t matter, because I never repeat myself.”

“Wait, no vote?” Leshawna asked, standing up on the bleacher. “Well then why the heck are we here? You said we were gonna play ‘an important part’ in determining the winner this time.”

“You are, just not in a vote. I’d never do anything so obviously one-sided.” At this Cody glared at the host. Wasn’t that exactly what he’d claimed the contest between Alejandro and himself had been? “No, the final challenge is going to be a race up the side of Mount Killawaya, an active volcano.” Chris pointed to the aforementioned lava spot, which chose that moment to rumble menacingly. All the teens gulped at that, save Heather who looked surprisingly pleased by this turn of events.

“I may not have been able to beat you in a vote, twerp, but there is no way you can run faster than me,” she hissed to the brunette.

“You’d be surprised how fast I can move,” Cody said back in a voice he thought sounded tough. The teen even puffed out his chest to make himself look bigger. His intimidating tactics were somewhat nullified by the fact that he’d forgotten to remove the bra he’d had to wear for the tiebreaker. 

“Ha, cool, I like to see that competitive spirit. I was afraid I’d have to waste time trying to psyche you both up,” Chris laughed.

“I understand why the Mama’s boy here would need to be psyched up, but why would you think I’m not in it to win it?” Heather asked, jerking her thumb at her opponent as she did so.

“Like I said, the peanut gallery is gonna be involved in this challenge, helping their chosen finalist by either moving him along, or holding his opponent back. And since your ‘team’ looks like she could double for the mummy,” Blainely growled at this, “you might find beating the Codemiester a touch difficult if sixteen people decide to form a human wall around you.” Worried now, Heather looked back at her ex-competitors, sixteen of which were now grinning maliciously at her. The Queen Bee’s mind managed to sum up her predicament quite nicely.

_‘Craaaaaap.’_

“Sadly, it’s gonna take a while for us to get to the challenge, mainly because we still have to clean up here,” the host said as he indicated the smoldering platform that was slowly sinking into the ocean, the two interns desperately hanging onto it as the sharks swam around them. “You would be amazed how touchy the Hawaiian government is about what you leave on its coast.”

“Well you can’t just leave a bunch of melted rubber on the beach. It could poison the environment,” Bridgette pointed out, much to Chris’s ire.

“Thank you Ms. Killjoy. Anyway, consider yourselves on break until I call you. Cody, I would seriously suggest using the time to change into an outfit that won’t burst into flame just because the air’s too hot,” the host said, indicating the grass skirt the scrawny boy was wearing. His job finished, McLean walked off to raid his private cooler for a soda, leaving the teens to break up.

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Commercial Break  
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	2. Act 2

Heather was off by herself, sitting on a felled log with her head in her hands. Much as she hated to admit it, Chris had been right. If the members of Team Cody really decided to simply stop her from advancing up the volcano, there would be nothing she could do to win, especially without a team of her own.

_‘This is so unfair,’_ she thought to herself. _‘After all my hard work, I’m gonna lose to that… that noodle boy just because none of those jerks can separate the game from life.’_

“Pardon me, Senorita, but you seem to be a lady in most dire distress,” an oily voice said from behind the Chinese-Canadian. She turned to find Alejandro, dressed once more in his normal clothes, leaning against a palm tree, his arms crossed over his muscular chest and a confident smile on his face.

“What do you want Ale-Jerk-dro?” she asked huffily, not in the mood for the Latin heartthrob’s mind games. “Come to rub salt in my wounds?” At this Alejandro put on an offended look.

“Perish the thought,” he said in a hurt voice, “I am merely making an observation. Just like when I say that I might have a solution to your very obvious problem.” This got Heather’s attention and she turned around to look directly at her former rival.

“You do?” she asked skeptically. Trusting Alejandro was often a prelude to elimination, but for the life of her she couldn’t see a reason he’d want to see her eliminated now.

“Why yes. The solution lies in Team Alejandro, our former competitors who had the good taste to support me.” At this Heather let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Oh yes, those guys,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Yes, I’m just so sure they’ll be oh so willing to help me out.”

“You give yourself far too much credit for being unpopular,” Alejandro pointed out. “While it is true Lindsay may still hold a grudge against you, assuming she remembers it anymore, Tyler trusts me and she trusts him. You never actually did anything to Katie or Sadie; both got eliminated before the Bass merged with the Gophers. And as to Courtney… well, I think her enemies list is topped by someone else these days.”

“And you think that would be enough to sway them to my side?”

“Well, I know they didn’t choose Cody, for whatever their reasons, which means they’re not letting him being a goodie-two-shoes sway their opinion.”

“That’s still only five…”

“Six if you count me, and I think you do,” he said, approaching her. “And that is better than going it alone. Or rather going it with Blainely, which could be worse than alone.” Again suspicion reared its head in Heather’s mind.

“And you would be willing to do all this because...?”

“Let us call it an investment,” the tanned teen said as he grabbed Heather’s shoulders, favoring her with a seductive gaze that lulled her defenses. “I will deliver the others to help you, as well as myself, and, when you win the game, we split the money, fifty-fifty.” Whatever spell of love the Latin lothario had been trying to cast with his eyes, the mention of splitting the prize money like that broke it as easily as shattered glass.

“You cannot be serious,” Heather laughed, pushing away from the evil ex-finalist. “You actually expect me to just hand over five hundred thousand dollars to you after everything I’ve been through.”

“I would think half a million is better than nothing plus the humiliation of losing to that scrawny babyface on international television,” he pointed out, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t believe your own popularity could take such a hit.” Heather’s own eyes narrowed. Alejandro certainly had a point.

“Cody’s not the only one who can get lucky you know,” the Queen Bee bit back. “Still, luck IS unreliable. Half the million is out of the question, but I could see myself giving away a hundred thousand. That would put you at the same level as all the veterans.” Again Alejandro looked offended. 

“Alejandro Burromuerto is at the same level as no one! Three hundred thousand, all the better to soothe my soul after your vicious betrayal back in Drumheller.”

“I told you before, ‘Mr. Fair,’ guilt trips don’t work on me. But I want to win, so I’d be willing to go as high as two hundred thousand, a full one fifth of the mil.” 

“Allow me to make my final offer then, Senorita. The two hundred thousand and,” at this the hunky boy once more grabbed Heather, this time wrapping one of his arms around her waist as he dipped her backward, the sexy smile returning to his face, “you allow me to escort you to a party my father will be hosting at the Spanish embassy next month.” Heather’s eyes widened in shock at the suddenness of this statement. Sure she’d been asked out before, but never quite like this.

“Uh, sure,” she answered, caught off guard by the request. Having received the desired response, Alejandro pulled her back up, releasing her from his grip. 

“Excellent, than we have come to an understanding. Now I do believe we should head back. I’ve no doubt Chris will be anxious to start the finals.”

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**Confession Cam – Heather**

“Well, that was surprising. I mean, I know Alejandro has been carrying a torch for me, quite honestly who wouldn’t, but I didn’t think he’d give up a hundred grand just to get me for a date.” A demure smile crossed Heather’s face before she suddenly remembered the camera. “Not that I’m impressed with all that mushy stuff. I merely require a team so I don’t get stampeded in the finals.” The raven-haired girl then gave a thoughtful look. “Of course, that’s not to say Alejandro isn’t a worthwhile addition to the prize money. Tall, tanned, handsome, and almost as intelligent as me. I could definitely see him being marginally worth my attention.”

**Confession Cam – Alejandro**

“Two hundred thousand dollars and a hot girl who isn’t some vapid, lovestruck airhead,” the Spanish teen said, counting on his fingers. “All right, so it isn’t the first prize million, but I’m not going to turn my nose up. Heather has proven to be a most... intriguing person, quite possibly a low-end match for my own impressive self.” He smiled at the camera, showing off his impressive features. “And if she does manage to take home the grand-prize, I fail to see how that could damage her appeal.”

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Meanwhile Cody was also off by himself, rocking back and forth on the ground, his knees held up to his chest. This was not his typical panicked rocking, however, but a sincere attempt to psyche himself up. His teal eyes were locked on Mount Killawaya in the distance, focusing on the volcano he would soon have to climb as he steeled his resolve. It seemed to be working, he didn’t feel the sense of dread he would have thought someone facing a volcano would.

“I’m gonna make it, you can’t stop me now, just you try,” he quietly sang to himself as he continued to rock back and forth. His mind began to rewind its way through everything he’d been through on the quest for the million. Being hit, banged up, squished, blown up, struck in the groin on numerous occasions, attacked by vicious animals, and a vicious Courtney, the maulings, the beatings, the insults. That was something of a mistake, as his eyes suddenly got wider and a sick feeling appeared in his stomach.

_‘Stop that Cody, you’re here to psyche yourself up, not psyche yourself out,’_ berated a voice in his head.

“I don’t want to do this,” the tech-geek whispered. “Historically I’ve had a lot of bad luck with these dangerous stunts, and the last thing I want is to be sent home in an urn.”

_‘Good gravy, what the heck happened to you?’_ the voice asked. _‘Where did all the self-confidence from season one go? What happened to the Code-Meister, the Coolest Dude in the Burbs?’_

“He got mauled by a bear and lost the girl of his dreams, remember,” Cody answered. 

_‘So you just give up? Lay down and let Heather take the million?’_

“Heather’s not so bad. She’s not nearly as mean as she was on the island.”

_‘Not the point! You wanna be taken seriously; you gotta do more than look cute and be a poser.’_ At this, Cody got a little angry.

“I am not a poser,” he responded. “I’m just not all that eager to wind up in a body cast again. Especially with third degree burns all over my body.”

_‘I bet Sierra wasn’t too keen on being in a wheelchair, but that hasn’t stopped her from giving her all. And Gwen didn’t look overly eager to risk an allergy attack back in Australia, but you’ll notice she did it. And here you are, in the finals, with a chance to win it all, and all you seem able to do is think about all the things that can go wrong.’_

“You must admit they’re valid worries.”

_‘And Heather’s probably thought about them too. But you know what? She’ll most likely be right at that starting line and I just pity the volcano if it tries to stop her.’_ As Cody mulled this over, he started to feel a little silly. He was having a conversation with himself to convince himself to run up an active volcano for money. If that didn’t qualify as self-destructive behavior, he didn’t know what did.

“Cody?” a sudden voice asked beside him, startling the boy into falling over on his side. Sierra looked down from her wheelchair, a touch of concern on her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No problem,” Cody responded, bounding up to his feet as though nothing had happened. “Did you want something?” he asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

“I just wanted to say how proud I was of you for beating Alejandro. Chris let me use one of the show’s computers to check my fansites. You should see how many posts there are congratulating you. I bet a few servers are gonna shut down because of it.”

“Uh thanks,” the gap-toothed geek said, unsure of how really welcome such news was. The last thing he needed was more pressure.

_‘I don’t know pressure seems to bring out the best in you,’_ the voice said again. _‘Look how it helped you perform against Alejandro.’_ Again a determined look came to Cody’s face. By Golly the crazy voice in his head was right! Now was not the time to turn into a quivering jellyfish, no matter what he was about to face. 

“Win or lose, I’ve gotta give it my all,” he declared, getting a round of applause from Sierra, who had no idea of the conversation her teen idol had been having in his head but wanting to be supportive nonetheless. Satisfied that he was sufficiently ready for what lie ahead, Cody grabbed hold of the handles of Sierra’s wheelchair and began to push the bald girl forward. “Let’s go back. The Total Drama crew is not gonna know what hit them.”

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**Confession Cam – Cody**

“Am I scared? Yes. Am I gonna let that stop me? Heck no!” Cody declared with great gusto. “I’ve been through too much to let this chance slip through my fingers. Heather may think having me for an opponent is a guaranteed victory, but so did Alejandro. I’m the Code-Man, the Code-Meister, the Codinator. So just sit back and watch me go.” Cody leaned back, putting his arms behind his head as he gazed coyly at the camera. “And remember ladies, this soon-to-be millionaire is still single.” Suddenly the brunette began to flail his arms as he lost his balance, falling backward with a hard thump.

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Back at the beach Chris stood before the assembled cast with a bored look on his face, much to the worry of the two interns standing beside him. As anyone who knew Chris McLean could attest, a bored Chris was a dangerous Chris, because that was when he tended to think of way to alleviate that boredom, ways that often resulted in lengthy hospital stays for his interns. Nearby Heather also looked bored. Bored and angry if the glares she was casting about the beach were any indication.

“If Cody’s chickened out, does that mean I win by default?” she finally asked the host, who was giving the interns an unsettling look. This succeeded in getting the middle-aged celebrity’s attention, and allowing the two interns to beat a hasty retreat from the scene.

“No,” Chris replied in an annoyed voice. “Seriously, what is it with you rotten kids and trying to end this show with a snoozefest? It’s like you don’t even care how that would affect my ratings! So selfish.” Putting two fingers to his lips the stubbly heartthrob gave a sharp whistle. Grumbling loudly, Chef Hatchet walked up to his supposed boss.

“What did I tell you about callin’ me like a dog?” the burly co-host growled as he glared angrily. In what could only be seen as a near fatal lack of the self preservation instinct, the narcissistic star ignored this warning.

“I don’t care! I’ve got a show to do and half my finalists are missing,” Chris whined. “Go find Cody and drag him back here, kicking and screaming if you have to.” A hand suddenly gripped a stubble covered chin in thought. “In fact kicking and screaming might actually be a plus for ratings.”

“That won’t be necessary,” a high pitched voice declared, causing everyone’s heads to turn in the voice’s direction. Cody and Sierra had returned. With a smile on her face, the injured uber-fan grabbed the wheels of her chair and propelled herself forward, freeing up her crush to do something he hadn’t done in what seemed like a lifetime; strut his stuff.

With a long, slow stride and his arms swinging back and forth purposefully, the scrawny geek made his way towards the cameras, passing the bleachers with a seeming disregard for those who were supporting him. Stopping just in front of the rest of the teens, he quickly turned around, giving them all a wink as he made a clicking sound with his mouth, pointing his fingers like guns. With a loud sigh, Sierra swooned in her chair while the rest of Team Cody adopted amused expressions.

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**Confession Cam – Leshawna**

“Mmm-hmm. So it looks like Shorty got his groove back,” the extra-large sister said, her hands on her hips as an eyebrow rose. Then she smiled approvingly. “I gotta admit I did kinda miss that ol’ swagger he had back on the island. I don’t think he was that hopped up when he was with the Drama Brothers. If Heather thought this game was done, she’s gonna be in for a surprise.”

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As she watched Cody make his entrance, Heather couldn’t help but glare at the scrawny boy. Though she didn’t really have anything against him, or at least anything beyond the normal animosity she held for anyone standing between her and a million dollars, the Queen Bee couldn’t help but dislike the change in her opponent’s demeanor. Confidence was never something you wanted to see in an opponent. Quickly she gave a purposeful glance towards Alejandro. Much as she hated to admit it, she would have to rely even more on the mastermind’s promise of help. 

Now that he had all of his competitors in place, Chris’s good mood returned and he began to smile again.

“Glad to see that we’re all here.”

“Here, ripped, and ready to go,” Cody confidently responded. “Just show me where the starting line is and enjoy the view. This cat is ready to play.” With that, the tech-head dropped to all fours, pantomiming a sprinter getting ready to race. Subtly he arched his back, more than likely attempting to give the impression of some wildcat ready to pounce. Sadly the geeky teen’s scrawny body more resembled a kitten. Chuckling, Chris reached down and grabbed Cat-Cody by the collar of his shirt, yanking him back up to his feet with a small yip.

“Woah there Romeo, we’ve still got one more challenge to attend to first,” the host explained.

“What?” Heather asked, startled by this news. “But you said…”

“I said the race up the volcano was the final challenge, not that we didn’t have one more to do before that. Really, the tiebreaker was completely unexpected.”

“Oh for the love of… Haven’t you gotten enough camera time, you has-been?” a disgruntled Gwen asked, trying to block the bright sun with her hand.

“No such thing, Gwendolyn,” Chris answered, causing the Goth to quiver. Then the host put on a pair of fake glasses, his favorite prop when he wanted to look like an intellectual. “Now then, time for a history lesson.” From out of nowhere he pulled a gigantic book, one that looked suspiciously like the same one he’d read “The History of Canada” from during the season one Awake-A-Thon. “Believe it or not, Hawaii was not always the vacation hotspot it is today. Back in the day, before planes made it easy as one-two-three to come here, it was mainly a place for Hawaiian natives to hang their hats. Wasn’t much to do here, but there were still volcanoes, which would constantly try to erupt and make this whole place look like Pompeii. You guys still with me?” he asked, looking to his captive audience. Most of the cast-mates were leaning against each other, drowsy eyed or actually sleeping as the host talked. “HEY! Eyes on me people! Anyway, as you can imagine, old-time Hawaiians didn’t much like this, and they believed that by tossing someone into the volcano, they could prevent it from blowing its top. Wicked, right? Of course our lawyers won’t let me toss one of you into an active volcano; way too much paperwork.” A somewhat stressed Heather and Cody slapped each other a low five in relief. Neither one had liked where this little story had been going, and hearing Chris’s plans had been thwarted was probably the best news they’d had all day. “So, that being said, I’ve come up with a good substitute.” Chef suddenly tossed down two round mats, one red, one blue. “You’re going to build your own sacrifices, modeled off of each other, from the natural resources of the island.” At this Heather bent down and picked up a twig.

“There, do I win?”

“Oh that’s droll, honey, you’re a laaaaaugh riot,” Noah said in his steady deadpan voice, clearly not amused. 

“Shush! It’s MY time with the camera now,” Chris commanded. “As I was saying, you’re both going to make substitute sacrifices of each other. Life-sized ones. But it wouldn’t be very entertaining just filming you two playing with driftwood and pineapples, so we’re tossing in a twist.” Chef grabbed both the geek and the Queen Bee in an arm each and deposited them on the mats, Cody on blue, Heather on red. “You can’t leave these mats here.” At that point the host stopped talking and only smiled, creating a long silence. Finally it was Heather who decided to comply with his silent request.

“Okay, I’ll bite. How are we supposed get the materials?”

“I’m glad you asked that Heather. You’re each going to pick two helpers from the peanut gallery to be your go-fers.”

“Ha, just try to find someone willing to help your skinny butt,” Leshawna called.

“Ahem,” Alejandro called as he cleared his voice for attention. “If I may, I’d like to take this moment to announce that I am officially placing my support behind Heather to win this game.” As the Spanish contestant said this he lifted a pennant with Heather’s smiling face on it. “I would also like to urge the former contestants who comprised Team Alejandro to join me on the newly re-christened Team Heather.” The former campers were all quite surprised as Lindsay, Tyler, Katie, Sadie, and Courtney each held up a flag just like the Latin teen’s.

“What?” Gwen asked incredulously. “How can you all support Heather? You know she’s a snake!” While four of the five looked just a little uneasy with what was quickly becoming an apparent unpopular choice, Courtney was not about to be cowed.

“She may be a snake, but at least she’s honest about it,” the tanned girl bit back. “Besides, if you and that… delinquent are going be supporting skinny over there, that’s all the reason we need to back Heather.” Alejandro snickered before casting a knowing smirk to the raven-haired finalist.

“Great, so we have actual teams to pick from,” Chris happily exclaimed, clearly pleased with this turn of events. “Cody, Heather, pick two people each to help you. Just remember to pick wisely.”

“That’s easy,” Heather confidently declared. “I pick Alejandro.” Bowing gallantly, the Spaniard walked over to the girl. Quietly she whispered to him, “Time to prove yourself.”

“As you wish Senorita. Allow me to begin so by offering you a bit of advice.” Alejandro was suddenly whispering into Heather’s ear, causing her eyes to narrow in distrust.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Considering your choices, I think it’s your best option for this challenge,” he pointed out. With an exasperated breath, Heather complied.

“Fine, I also choose Courtney.” Turning up her nose at the other members of the Peanut Gallery, the C.I.T. walked over to stand beside her new team. Satisfied, Chris turned to Cody, waiting for him to make his decision.

And it was a complicated decision to make. His first instinct was to choose Sierra, who had been of incalculable assistance in his journey to the million. And he was quite sure the wheelchair would be no impediment to HER helping him. But to ask her to put her health on the line again would make him no better than someone like Alejandro who manipulated other’s feelings for his own gain. Gwen would also be a good choice, he had no doubt she’d do her best to help him, but Cody wasn’t about to give Courtney a chance to hurt the Goth if he could help it. Just like he couldn’t risk Leshawna getting side-tracked trying to thrash Heather. Owen was pretty good at throwing Alejandro off his game, but he wasn’t exactly the most reliable when it came to staying on his own. Noah would be helpful in actually planning out what he wanted to do, but not so much in collecting what he needed to win. 

Then Cody spotted Harold. The ultra-geek always claimed he was in possession of “mad skills,” and while they were usually hit or miss, the tech-head decided that building a replica of another human being out of beach debris and fruit was weird enough to be something Harold would be good at. 

“Harold, think you can give me a hand over here?” he asked. Like a rocket the glasses wearing teen was on his feet.

“My mad skills are completely at your disposal, dude,” Harold declared as he ran to his friend. Again teal eyes scanned his friends, searching for someone who would compliment his team. Duncan was a no-go, Eva quite frankly scared him, and Izzy was… missing, which was a worrisome situation in and of itself. Geoff and Bridgette weren’t available. That left only Justin and Trent. And Justin wasn’t exactly the most hard-working guy Cody knew.

“I’ll take Trent as well.” At the sound of his name, the musician rose and took a bow before moving over to the mat. 

“I’m behind you bro,” he said, giving Cody a high-five, and accidentally hurting the brunette’s hand. 

“Ah, sweet,” Heather commented. “Two geeks and a nutjob.”

“Better than two snakes and a Courtney,” Harold bit back.

“I think we better get the contest started before this breaks down into a fist-fight,” Chris observed. “Oh yeah, and since it just wouldn’t be a grand finale without a big musical number…” A familiar chime sounded, causing the competing teens to all groan. 

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Heather: This show will soon be done at last, the final challenge is coming fast. The million’s finally in my sight, so Cody you should just take flight.

Cody: You say you’ve changed, that may be true; still I am not gonna lose to you. You think that money is as good as free, but the win today will belong to ME!

Heather and Cody: I’m gonna win. (It won’t be you.) You might as well start crying now. (boo-hoo.) Listen well to the words that I rhyme, this is the season that will beee MINE.

Heather: (to Alejandro and Courtney) I need a body that’s skinny and bare, with noodle-like arms and ugly hair. Tiny feet like a little girl, with a weirdo smile that makes me want to hurl.

Cody: (to Trent and Harold) Her skin should be all gnarled and rough, with mannish thighs that are suspiciously buff. Use an old pineapple for her head, don’t worry ‘bout the leaves, I want it bald instead.

Heather and Cody: I’m gonna win. (It won’t be you.) You might as well start crying now. (boo-hoo.) Listen well to the words that I rhyme, this is the season that will beee MINE.

Alejandro: (lifting sticks for inspection) Gangly legs? A grasping hand? Should we fill his undies up with sand? (laughs)

Heather: Yes.

Trent: (glaring at Alejandro) A tiny heart? A twisted smile? But what doll could copy her villainous style? 

Harold: (in his show clothes) Yo, it’s a battle now as old as time. Wicked and Nasty versus Good and Kind. The million bucks is up for grabs, all Cody needs to do is beat that ugly hag.

Heather: HEY!

Heather and Cody: I’m gonna win. (It won’t be you.) You might as well start crying now. (boo-hoo.) Listen well to the words that I rhyme, this is the season that will beee MINE.

Courtney: (Stopping in her task and gazing at the sky) I’ve been betrayed by love and friend, all I want is this tale to end. If Duncan and Gwen want Cody to win, not choosing Heather would be a sin.

Heather: I feel the pain in your broken heart, but get back to work or your lip I’ll part!

Cody: We have to win, so come on guys. Move so fast your feet can fly.

Heather and Cody: I’m gonna win. (It won’t be you.) You might as well start crying now. (boo-hoo.) Listen well to the words that I rhyme, this is the season that will beee MINE. You’re gonna see, when this show is done, you’ll be all alone…

Heather: …Because. I. Just. WON!

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Commercial Break  
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	3. Act 3

Alejandro’s arm wrapped around the shoulders of the triumphant Heather as she smiled from her mat next to her completed dummy. The Queen Bee smirked over at Cody who looked somewhat disappointed as he stood with an armless Heather mannequin. Trent and Harold gave their friend a consolatory pat on the back as Chris walked up.

“Well it looks like congratulations are in order,” the handsome host said, though Heather snubbed his gesture. Chris gave the female finalist an annoyed look. “Glad to see you’re not letting victory go to your head.” Then he turned to Cody. “What can I say Codester, this just wasn’t your event. But don’t feel too bad. As they say, it ain’t over until the last man’s standing.”

“Enough of this love-fest!” Heather bellowed. “Let’s get on with this so I can claim my million.”

“What, ya got somewhere else to be?” Chris countered. “It’s the last episode and you’re in the lead. Why not have fun with it?”

“Has he met Heather?” Cody whispered to Harold, causing the uber-geek to snicker. Soon, after Cody had completed his mock-up of Heather, Chris led the two teens towards the foot of Killawaya. Both craned their necks skyward. The volcano was much taller up close than off in the distance.

“All right, the rules here are simple,” the sadistic showman began to explain. “The two of you are gonna race up Mount Killawaya. You can take any route you want, but some paths are more dangerous than others, and quite a few are impassible. First one who reaches the top with their sacrifice in one piece and gets it into the lava takes home the big prize… ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!” Chris gave a huge grin as he raised his arms up in celebration. “The second one up I’ll give the name of an excellent plastic surgeon, just in case they want to change their face to avoid the humiliation.” Heather turned to Cody.

“If you want tips on what your new face should look like, just come see me after the show. I should be feeling very generous then.” Cody wasn’t listening to the mean girl, instead looking about the base of the volcano.

“Where’s everyone else?” he asked. “I thought you said they’d be participating in this event.” 

“Good eye,” Chris answered. “The peanut gallery has been let loose upon the mountain, free to set up their own special surprises to trip you up or help you out.”

“Wait, what if they destroy our dolls?” asked the Queen Bee.

“Not to worry. They’ve all been instructed that your sacrifices are off-limits. No Touchy. All you have to do is keep the things in one piece.” At that point a sly look crossed the aged star’s face. “You two, on the other hand, are fair game, so you might want to be careful who you blunder into.” The sheer bluntness of this statement startled the two contestants. “Now then, on an earlier episode your teams all competed in special contest, the prize for which was intended to help you in this challenge. Team Alejandro won this handsome wheelbarrow. Too bad he’s no longer competing. Cody, your team won you this super-cute baby carriage. Push it in good health. And Heather, your team won, well, squat.” The dark haired beauty glared. “But since Al decided to throw his burly biceps behind you, I suppose we could let you use his advantage to carry your fake Cody.” Without a word Heather grabbed her scrawny sacrifice by its skinny waist and lifted it with one hand.

“I don’t think that will be a problem Chris,” she smugly said.

“Okay then. Since you won the last challenge you get a two minute head start, starting… NOW!” Tucking the wooden boy in her arms, Heather was off like a shot, favoring the easiest path to cover as much distance as possible with the time she had. Behind her Cody stretched his legs, warming up for the challenge of his life. After the prerequisite two minutes finally expired, Chris signaled it was time for him to get moving. Pumping himself up, the gap-toothed geek hefted his Heather doll onto his back… and was promptly crushed underneath it.

“Woah! What happened here?” Chris asked as he ran over to the teen, concerned that he was about to lose any sense of drama for his finale. Quickly he inspected the wooden effigy that now lay atop of the brunette. “Man, that is some solid construction,” the host commented, knocking on the solid trunk as Cody rolled the mannequin off him. “Dude, you know you could have just used dried wood or something less… heavy.” Indeed, though the doll had been made out of debris wood, it had not been old debris. 

“Harold!” Cody growled as he thought about the only person he knew that would think a wooden dummy that was going to be thrown into a volcano needed to be built to last. Grabbing its ankles, the skinny teen dragged the heavy doll over to his baby carriage. With a triumphant cry, Cody managed to heft the doll up onto his prize, only to let out a despairing cry as the flimsy carriage was crushed beneath the weight.

“Wow, that thing was just useless, wasn’t it,” Chris commented. “Better hurry before Ms. Sunshine gets too far ahead of you.” Desperate, Cody grabbed hold of the broken wheels of the baby carriage, jamming the axels into the pineapple head. Fortunately the fruit was a young specimen, hard enough to take the abuse without breaking apart. Lifting the wooden feet, the geeky competitor began to pull the doll behind him a he raced up to catch up with Heather, huffing and puffing all the way.

Now alone, Chris turned to smile at the cameras.

“Well ya gotta hand it to him; that kid doesn’t give up. But will it be enough to get him to the top? And what surprises await both of our competitors on their trek? I’m gonna go set up for the end of the race, but you guys should all enjoy the action, courtesy of our Total Drama Cameras.”

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & && & & & &

_‘It’s hot. Man it’s HOT,’_ Cody thought as he pressed onward, the ambient heat of the volcano already causing him to sweat. Of course all the running he’d been doing didn’t help much. The brunette wasn’t even sure how far he’d gone; only that he was moving upward, which was a good enough direction for him. 

Killawaya shook a bit, rumbling with geothermal energy. For a moment Cody wobbled about, his balance lost as the earth under his feet moved. Shaking his head, the brunette continued onward. Somewhere up ahead was Heather, and if he wanted to win the prize, Cody had to catch her.

“Ah!” the tech-geek cried as a chunk of ground near him erupted in a jet of hot gas, only to be plugged up as a small stream of magma began to flow out of the hole. A quick hop carried Cody over the liquid rock. “This is getting way too hot for comfort.

“You’re telling me, bro. My headband soggier than when it’s in the washer,” Tyler said as the jock suddenly appeared on the path before the gap-toothed geek. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked as Tyler crossed his arms.

“What’s it look like Code-Man? I’m here to stop ya from making it to the top of the volcano.” A sudden laugh escaped Cody’s lips.

“Ha, that’s a good one Ty. You almost had me fooled there,” he said as he attempted to walk past the red suited sporto. Immediately Tyler got in his way, bouncing the smaller boy backward and sending him crashing to his butt. “Hey!”

“Dude, I’m on Heather’s team. I can’t just wimp out, even if I don’t like her,” the buff teen explained. “Now stay put and we can just wait for the challenge to end.”

“Oh that ain’t happening,” Cody said as he stood again. Tyler, not naturally a mean person, did not press his attack, opting to simply be an obstacle for the older boy. Thinking quickly, and knowing he didn’t have the time to overpower the other brunette, the nerdling grabbed hold of his doll and ran to the mountainside. If Tyler insisted on closing the easy way off, Cody would just have to take the direct route to the top. Grunting in frustration at the stubbornness of his quarry, Tyler also began to climb. Though his larger hands and feet made finding purchase to support his weight harder, the jock’s fitter body was able to make the climb much faster. Very soon he once more blocked Cody’s progress.

“Come on Cody, you know you can’t beat me climbing any more than blocking,” the jock pointed out. He really didn’t want to be responsible for the smaller boy accidentally hurting himself. 

“You may be right about that?” Cody admitted as he clung to the mountainside, looking back down at the path. “But I bet I can beat you at falling.” So saying the scrawny teen released his grip, dropping back to the ground. The impact caused him to lose his balance a bit, falling backwards yet again, but ultimately doing him no harm. Quickly the seventeen year old took off, dragging his mock-up behind him. Realizing he’d been outmaneuvered, Tyler let go of the rock too, bending his knees as he dropped to absorb the impact. Unfortunately, the unlucky sporto had wedged his foot into its hold too tightly, a fact which caused his fall to turn into a tumble. 

“Ouch!” Tyler yelled as he landed face first back on the path. 

“Are you all right Tyler?” Cody asked, having stopped when he’d heard the crash. A million dollars or not, he wasn’t going to just leave an injured man behind. 

“‘M all right,” Tyler called weakly, raising a thumbs up to indicate he wasn’t seriously hurt. Satisfied, Cody continued onward.

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

Heather was fuming. Fuming and hurting. It had been good going for the first two minutes, she hadn’t seen any of the others at all, save for Tyler who’d said he was going to block off Cody. She’d honestly hoped they’d decided to leave well enough alone.

Then she’d seen the sign. It had been one of those warning indicators to tell people which way to take up the mountain. On the wood someone had crudely written “Danger” next to an arrow pointing left and “Free Donuts” next to an arrow pointing right. Heather looked down both paths. Left had a rather smooth incline, while the right was craggier and thinner. Chuckling to herself, the popular girl took the left path, calling out to Owen how lame this little trap was.

As it turned out, the trap had been Gwen’s.

At the top of the smooth incline, the path suddenly dropped off, as Heather found out all too well when she did too. Screaming and cursing as she tumbled down the rocky slope, she couldn’t help but hear the Goth-girl’s laughter. With a furiousness that would have made a mountain cat proud, Heather scrambled back up, intent on hurling her pale rival down the same slope as revenge. Of course Gwen had had the sense to not stick around, but that mattered little. She’d already cost the Queen Bee precious time. 

A loud “Ouch!” in Tyler’s voice told the raven-hair she would soon have company of the geeky variety if she didn’t hurry. Quickly she ripped the sign out of the ground and tossed it away. Even if he didn’t walk himself off the ledge like Heather had, Cody would probably waste a few minutes checking the right path, something he wouldn’t do if he thought “Owen” was trying to point him in the other direction. Carefully she moved onto the narrow path. 

_‘It has to be safe, right?’_ Heather thought to herself as she walked the path. _‘I mean, they wouldn’t let people use it if it wasn’t, right?’_ She looked over the edge. It wasn’t very far down, at least not yet, but the mistress of mean also wasn’t interested in having to make it back up here again. 

Soon the path widened again and Heather no longer had to hold onto the cliff as she moved. 

“It seems Heather’s still in the lead, but a tumble down the mountain has given Cody a chance to catch up. Will Miss Mean be able to keep ahead of Mr. Nice? Especially with what’s coming up in front of her,” Chris announced as his helicopter flew past. Inside the cockpit, Heather could just make out Gwen, blowing a raspberry at her.

“Just you wait weird Goth girl!” Heather yelled back, shaking her fist. “This isn’t over yet!” Re-energized, the Asian-Canadian began to sprint ahead, determined to make it to whatever the next obstacle was going to be. That’s how she made it to the part of the path overlooking the fork she’d gotten stuck in. Cody had apparently arrived there too and, like her, had taken the left path. The difference was that, before the sudden drop-off she had suffered could take the tech-geek; he grabbed hold of the rope.

Yes, there was a rope, lowered down to him courtesy of DJ who was currently lying flat on the path ahead of Heather. The Queen Bee growled as she watched her opponent tie himself and his sacrifice to the line. She sped up as DJ began to pull the lighter boy up, kicking the muscular football player as she passed him and causing him to yelp and release the rope. The raven-haired beauty smirked as she heard the pained cry of Cody tumbling back down, but she didn’t stop. It wouldn’t take DJ long to recoup his loss after all. 

It was then that something beautiful appeared. Justin stood on the path before her, a smile on his face, and a tiny speedo on his body. It was quite obvious that this was a distraction meant to stall, a fact that didn’t stop her from slowing down as the teen model began to flex in the bright Hawaiian sun. The heat of the volcano had caused a sheen of sweat to appear, which in turn caused his bronze skin to sparkle like gold. For a few brief moments, the million dollars was driven from Heather’s mind, along with every other thought she could have. 

A loud squeal broke the spell as Justin was tackled by Katie and Sadie. If Heather had been stunned, the two BFFs had completely lost control thanks to the hunk’s stunning good looks were currently tugging his arms off as they each tried to hug him all to themselves. Shaking off the stunning image, Heather continued onward quickly.

It wasn’t long before the next obstacle presented itself, one that made even Justin’s hotness seem cool in comparison.

A river of lava flowed before her, blocking the path like… well, like a river of lava. On the other side Chris stood smiling. 

“Hi there!” he called slyly. “Bet you’re wondering what’s going on.” As he spoke, the Queen Bee noticed the scaffolding that had been built across the lava, several heavy objects hanging from, tied by ropes to a rock by which stood four of the eliminated contestants. Underneath the scaffold were several flat rocks jutting out of the liquid rock, obviously the mode by which she was supposed to cross. “You didn’t really think we were gonna let it be this easy did you? The object here should be obvious, but I’ll explain anyway.”

“Of course; no one loves the sound of your voice more than you,” Heather muttered.

“It’s simple. Use the rocks to make it across the lava without falling in or losing your sacrifice. Of course the trip won’t just be a hop, skip, and jump.” LeShawna and Harold quickly appeared, both holding out a pair of machetes. “These two graciously volunteered to help out in this competition by selectively dropping items down upon your pretty little head. Won’t that be fun?”

“Ahem!” the nearby Alejandro coughed, knowing a stall tactic when he saw one. Chris wanted drama, and a killer lead did not make drama. The host favored the fallen mastermind with a sour look.

“And of course, to even the odds, Alejandro and Lindsay here will be trying to stop them. And vice-versa once the little guy gets here.”

“Oh this is gonna be so sweet,” LeShawna said, giving her machete a test swipe through the air. “I’m gonna flatten you, you skanky little-“

“You’ll understand if I can’t allow you to do that,” Alejandro said as he interposed himself between the urban goddess and the ropes. LeShawna let out a laugh.

“Oh, ho-ho-ho don’t think I won’t go through you with a smile on my face Casanova,” she said as she charged forward swinging.

“Maybe, but will you go through her too?” The Latin lothario pulled Lindsay next to him, knowing full well that his opponents were not as ruthless as they would pretend to be. Satisfied that the situation was well in hand, the ruthless raven-hair prepared to continue her trek.

“Oh you gotta be kiddin’ me!” Cody cried as he suddenly appeared next to her. 

“Code-man, you finally made it,” Chris called. “Let me just explain what’s going on.”

“Have fun with that geek-face,” Heather called as she hopped over to the first rock. Cody watched her go, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Balance was not his strong suit, and he didn’t think he was going to be able to hop the distances between the stones and carry the mock-Heather.

“Come on, Scrawny, you’re wasting time,” Duncan announced as he seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Beefy hands grabbed Cody by the arms and bodily carried him away. For a moment the gap-toothed geek feared he was about to become a missing person, with his picture on milk cartons and everything. Then he noticed Noah and Eva moving about a giant board balanced on a rock.

Well, Eva was moving the board. Noah was standing at the center, an eye closed as he used his hands as a sight to aim the board.

“A little to the left. A little more,” he said as the female bodybuilder gave a controlled push. “Perfect!” the brainiac declared as he hopped off. “Okay, Duncan, we’re ready for him.”

“Uh… What’s going on?” Cody asked as he and his sacrifice were deposited at one end of the board.

“What’s it look like? We’re helping you across Chris’s little river of fun,” the sarcastic one responded before looking up. “Okay Big Guy, you’re up!”

“You got it little buddy! BONZAI!” A dark shadow fell across Cody as he looked up to see Owen diving off the rocks above. How the group had managed to convince the acrophobic teen to do this was not nearly so pressing a concern to the brunette as where he was going to land. With a crash Owen slammed onto the raised end of the board and, for the second time in his life, Cody was airborne without a plane.

“AH!!!” he wailed as he sailed over the horizon, his four supporters watching with smiles on their faces.

“Not a bad job pointdexter,” Duncan said as he clapped Noah on the back, much to the bookworm’s annoyance. Still this was a time to celebrate, and he wanted to bask in the appreciation. 

“Getting someone like Cody up and over was a piece of cake, we just had to aim it right for the thermals,” he responded. “And half the credit for that goes to Eva for getting the aim right.” The girl in question gave a smug smile, which quickly faded as she thought of something.

“Uh, guys, we did a good job getting him going, but did anyone actually think about how he’d land?” she asked. As this realization dawned on the three boys, their own smiles began to fade as they watched the other teen’s body arc through the sky. A sharp intake of breath and a pained expression followed as they witnessed his not so graceful landing.

“I’m okay,” Cody feebly called from somewhere in the distance.

Heather had watched her opponent sail by with a hint of annoyance. Now Cody was in the lead, even if only for a little while. A part of her hoped that he had suffered an injury in his landing; nothing serious, but a sprained ankle would be most welcome. Quickly she jumped forward as a piano came crashing down, taking out one of the rocky steps as it splashed into the molten lava. LeShawna had apparently been able to get past Alejandro for a bit to cut one of the lines, though now the Spanish competitor was trying to wrestle the machete from her hand. Harold was trying to get past Lindsay, and having trouble figuring out where he could put his hands without causing his girlfriend to scream at him. 

Despite this, the Queen Bee did manage to make it over the rocky pathway, only having to dodge two more objects, the second of which, a cage, had actually succeeded in making a rather nice bridge between two distant rocks for her. As she made her final leap, a tanned hand reached out and grabbed onto her own. Alejandro quickly pulled her to safety, and into an embrace. For a few brief moments, their faces drew closer together as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“You… you have to get going,” Alejandro said before either teen could get too caught up in each other. Heather shook her head, clearing the cobwebs from her mind as she got her game face on. 

“You’re right. I don’t have any time for this… nonsense,” the Queen Bee said with determination. Grabbing hold of her sacrifice, Heather headed off at a brisk jog, leaving behind a smiling Alejandro.

“Dude, that seemed kinda cold,” Harold said as he watched the raven-haired girl run off.

“That depends on your definition of romantic, my little amigo,” Alejandro replied.

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

Elsewhere, Cody was pulling himself out of the small, teen-shaped crater he’d made upon impacting with the mountainside. His vision was swimming slightly, but no more than it had during the numerous times over the course of season he’d impacted with hard surfaces headfirst. Shaking off the dizziness, and spitting out the soil that had invaded his mouth, the gap-toothed geek looked around for his sacrifice.

“Score!” he cried as he found the wooden effigy lying nearby, “the wheels didn’t even fall off. That’s one tough dummy.”

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

**Confession Cam – Harold**

“We all know Cody’s pretty tough for a meek little guy, right? I mean, he got mauled by a bear and bounced back in, like, a few weeks.” Harold explained to the camera. “So I figured if we made the effort and built the dummy to last, we could just kinda, you know, catapult ‘em both up the volcano and that would negate any lead Heather got.” Harold sat back as he crossed his arms, smiling at the camera. “Strategy. Ya always gotta think two steps ahead, even on the last step.”

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

Grabbing hold of the ankles of his sacrifice, Cody once more began to wheel the thing up the volcano, pleased to see the path had become a straight shot upwards. 

_‘I’m home free! All I need to do is keep my lead and that million dollar prize is all mine! Talk about a good day,’_ he thought happily.

“Hold it right there!” yelled a voice that sent shivers up the brunette’s spine. 

_‘So much for that thought,’_ Cody realized as he spotted Courtney stomping towards him with an angry look on her face, and a rather troublingly large mallet in her hands.

“I’m not letting you win this,” the C.I.T. threatened. “But I’m willing to be reasonable. Just drop your doll and step away so I can smash it. Then Heather will win and you don’t have to be in a body cast again.” To be fair, the high-strung girl gave her quarry a full five seconds to make up his mind before swinging her mallet. With a hard pull, Cody just managed to get the faux-Heather out of the way, leaving only volcanic rock to be smashed.

“Hey! Chris said you guys aren’t allowed to attack our dummies!” Cody protested as he dodged another swing.

“Oh please,” Courtney retorted. “It took me three seasons, but I finally figured out Chris’s stance on rules. He doesn’t care if we obey them or not, just so long as whatever we do creates drama for his show.” Another swing, another dodge. “And what I’m doing here, taking a potshot at the nerdy underdog, that’s the stuff drama’s made of.” 

“What is your problem!?” the brunette yelled back. “You’re seriously gonna try to injure me just to keep me from winning a million dollars?” He yelped as the mallet slammed down near his feet.

“I gave you an out,” the exasperated C.I.T. pointed out, “but you had to be totally unreasonable again, just like at Wawanakwa. If you’d just done the right thing and given me the million then, none of this would be happening now.” As if to punctuate that word, Courtney swung at Cody’s legs, hooking the mallet behind his legs and yanking them out from under him, causing the older boy to fall back onto his sacrifice. Grinning mercilessly, the demented damsel lifted her mallet, fully intending to crush both.

“Hey! Nutso C.I.T. girl!” yelled a voice that distracted Courtney, causing her to look back. Further up the volcano sat Sierra in her wheelchair, a fierce expression on her face as she looked down upon the scene unfolding. “NOBODY tries to flatten MY CODIKINS!!” With that declaration, the uber-fan grabbed hold of the back of her wheels and, with a mighty surge of Codrenaline, yanked them forward. The sound of rubber squealing on rock was deafening before the chair shot forward at ludicrous speed. Like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, Courtney was unable to react, save for widening her eyes as Sierra slammed into her, knocking her away from Cody and sending both women into a crumpled heap.

“Sierra!” Cody called, getting up and running over to his friend. Though neither ex-contestant looked particularly well off, Sierra proved to be a bit more resilient as she smiled at the object of her affections. “Are you crazy, attacking her like that?” the brunette asked. “You’re already in a wheelchair, do you want to be crippled for life?”

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have deserved to be called your number one fan,” the bald girl explained with a smile, “to say nothing of being your best friend.” Then her looks became serious. “Besides, I couldn’t just let this witch rob you of the prize.”

“It’s not worth it if I get my friends hurt to win,” Cody pointed out. He was quite surprised to see his former wife giving him an annoyed look.

“I’m the one who chose to do it not you,” she pointed out. “It’s sweet that you care, but this is only not worth it if you decide not to continue competing.” Once more the smile returned to Sierra’s face. “Now hurry up before Heather catches up.”

“But…”

“I’ll be fine. Chris will be by to pick me and Courtney here up soon. You just concentrate on getting up to that crater.” Seeing that his friend was resolved in her decision, Cody gave a short nod, his face gritting in determination. The first rule of being a ladies’ man was to never let a lady down after all. Now he had no choice but to win. Grabbing the sacrifice’s legs, he began his trek up the volcano’s incline.

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

Just as Sierra had predicted, Chris did indeed make use of his helicopter to pick up the two teens, the same as he had all the other helpers. Now the assembled peanut gallery stood to one side of a rim of Mt. Killawaya’s crater, all sweltering from the heat rising from the fiery pit. Sweat fell from each of their bodies as hairdos wilted, and they all looked quite uncomfortable. Or at least they would have if they hadn’t been glaring angrily at their host.

Chris McLean also stood at the rim, not a drop of sweat on his brow, nor as single follicle of perfectly quaffed hair drooping from his head. The reason for this was simple, as the celebrity entertainer was standing between two industrial sized fans as they blew air on him that had been chilled by two massive blocks of ice. 

“Brrr. Ya know, a cup of hot cocoa would really hit the spot about now,” McLean quipped to his two interns, both of whom were struggling to get a fresh block of ice into place before it melted. The two put upon men joined the ex-contestants glaring at their boss, a fact that warmed the sadistic man’s heart better than all the cocoa in the world ever could. Suddenly, he became aware of a new noise coming up over the sound of the whirling fan blades, a sort of wheezing, gasping sound that was starting to get on his nerves. Turning his head, the host with the most saw a figure making its way to the rim.

“Too hot, too hot,” Cody wheezed as he pulled the Heather-doll behind him, almost collapsing as he finally made it to the top of the volcano.

“Cody! My man!” Chris yelled amid the cheering from Team Cody (and Lindsay, who’d forgotten she was on Team Heather). “Looks like you’re the first one to make it up here. Good for you!” he congratulated, ignoring the perturbed look the geeky boy was giving him as Cody noticed the host’s makeshift air-conditioning system. “Now all ya gotta do is get Wooden Heather there into the lava, and you get a ‘cool’ million.” As he said this, Chris held up a silvery suitcase that had been sitting beside him, ostensibly the container for the sought after prize money.

Fighting his exhaustion, Cody pulled forward, dragging his cargo behind him as his friends cheered him on. Finally he made it to edge of the crater, a quick look over of which revealed that, yes, the volcano was quite active and quite full of lava. Happily he righted the doll he’d been carrying, standing it on its feet.

“Finally, this nightmare is over,” Cody declared as he prepared to push his sacrifice over the edge.

“Not so fast,” Heather said as her hands suddenly grabbed the brunette from behind. The startled geek was flung to the ground as Heather, disheveled and dirty from her own journey, stood over him with a scowl. 

“I will…” Heather began as she performed a leg drop right between Cody’s legs. 

“Ah!” he yelled as on the other side of the crater the male members of the peanut gallery all winced in sympathy. Even Chris and Chef let out gasps of sympathetic pain.

“…lose…” the Queen Bee continued, dropping her elbow into her opponent’s stomach.

“Eey!” Cody squeaked as his internal organs were forced to shift their positions in his body.

“..this TIME!” concluded the raven-haired girl as her forearms crashed into the gap-toothed one’s ribs.

“Oof!” he gasped as the air was driven out of his body. 

“It took me two whole seasons to get back my shot at the win,” Heather stated as she stood up again, satisfied that her foe was incapacitated enough that he couldn’t stop her from winning, “I’m not going to lose it to anyone!” Grabbing the Cody-doll she’d left behind, Heather marched back to the rim of the volcano, standing right next to Cody’s own mock-up of her. Being far too savvy to trust the wind, the Queen Bee knocked the wooden effigy back down so it couldn’t accidentally fall into the lava. With a triumphant smile on her face, she lifted her sacrifice and prepared to win.

Over where he lay, Cody moaned as he clutched his pained body, wondering when he’d become the universe’s punching bag. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the situation about to unfold. More importantly, he spotted a way to stop it. In knocking over the older teen’s sacrifice, Heather had inadvertently placed its head within striking distance of its owner’s feet. Fighting back the pain of his cramping stomach muscles, Cody kicked his legs with all his might, striking the pineapple. The force of the blow was enough to send the Heather-doll over the edge, just as the real Heather dropped her Cody-doll at the same time.

Twenty-seven sets of eyes raced to look over the edge of the pit as the two sacrifices fell, neck and neck as gravity pulled each towards the lava. Struggling, Cody pulled himself over to watch as well. For a few moments, it appeared Chris would have to come up with a new tiebreaker, when Mother Nature herself decided to intervene. 

As though channeling the natural luck of its namesake, the Cody-doll’s falling arc took it too close to a rocky outcropping inside the fire pit, its citrusy head smashing against the hard stone and shattering as its wooden body began to tumble uncontrollably. The impact also caused the effigy’s descent to rapidly slow.

Only a minute later, an audible “ploop” sound was heard, followed closely by a second “ploop.” 

From her perch, Heather stood frozen, her mouth agape as she watched the scene unfold. Cody too seemed frozen where he lay, looking over the edge with wide eyes. Then, adrenaline erasing the pain he’d been feeling only a short while ago, the brunette rose to his feet and raised both of his arms high, his hands forming two “V” shapes as he claimed his victory. Beside him Heather fell to her knees.

“NOOOOO!” she wailed as from the opposite side applause erupted from the peanut gallery. With a huge smile on his face, Chris McLean walked over to the former competitors, the silver briefcase in his hand.

“And the winner of Total Drama World Tour is… CODY!!” he announced clapping the gawky teen on the back, and accidentally knocking the air out of him for a minute. Quickly the new millionaire recovered, his youthful face taking on a huge, toothy smile as he watched Chris open up the briefcase to display his winnings. Though not naturally a greedy person, Cody couldn’t help but grab hold of a few of the bills and rub them against his smooth face, as though to make sure this was not some heatstroke induced hallucination. Replacing the money, and allowing the host to snap the case shut again, the young winner claimed his prize, hugging it to his narrow chest.

“This is so cool!” he finally said. “Everybody back home is so going to freak when they see this.”

“Hey!” called out a husky voice as two elderly men wearing sarongs similar to Chef’s and loud shirts appeared. “You idiots were just throwing pineapples into the volcano, weren’t you?”

“Don’t you know pineapples cause volcanoes to erupt?” the second man huffed out. Everyone gave the two blank stares as this was clearly news to them. “Didn’t you people read the signs?!” 

“Oh those things,” Chris said, rolling his eyes. “They were really ruining my shot, so I put the human wall there to cover them up.” Making a collective realization, the twenty-two contestants that had formerly be cheering stepped aside and turned around where, indeed, they found several signs warning against the folly of tossing pineapples into the active volcano. As if waiting for this cue, Mt. Killawaya suddenly gave a violent shake, startling everyone. Gripping his prize money, Cody stepped back from the edge, unwilling to end this season as a roast just when he’d won.

_‘Oh this is just spectacular. I finally win the game and now we’re all gonna die. Can life get any more unfair?’_ That was when he noticed a rather pungent aroma coming from behind him. Curious, the tech-geek turned around, and his eyes widened at what he saw standing before him.

Ezekial. 

In truth, Cody had thought the homeschooled teen had been left behind on the train to Mexico. That was, after all, the last place Alejandro and Heather had claimed to have seen him. How he would have found his way to Hawaii was anyone’s guess. And yet, here he stood, in all his groady glory, his sickly green skin almost gleaming in the glow of the lava. At first the prairie boy’s eyes didn’t seem to be focusing on anything in particular, as evidenced by the fact that neither one was looking in the same direction. 

That ended in an instant as both pupils snapped forward, staring most disconcertingly at the object Cody was gripping to his chest. This did not go unnoticed.

“Uh, hey Zeke, buddy,” Cody said, smiling uncomfortably as he took a step back. Ezekial growled as he took his own step forward. “You remember me, right? Cody; from back on the island.” Another growl escaped the deranged competitor’s lips and again Cody stepped backwards. “C’mon man, the game’s over. We can all go ho… YIPE!” Without warning, Ezekial pounced, leaping into the air to knock Cody over as he grabbed hold of the briefcase, yanking and pulling as he attempted to wrest it away from the older boy. And he might have succeeded, if Cody in turn did not have a veritable death grip on the case. Even lacking raw physical power, the gap-toothed geek was tenacious, and he wasn’t about to just relinquish the prize he’d worked so hard for. The two teenagers struggled, Cody trying to escape as Ezekial tried to pry the case away from him. In all honesty, it seemed as though the two were fairly evenly matched, neither one willing to suffer a defeat at the hands of the other. Becoming furious, the prairie boy employed his feet to give him additional leverage, bracing them against Cody’s stomach and face. 

This proved to be the clincher. 

“Blah!” Cody screamed as he released the briefcase to grab hold of his nose and mouth. After weeks and weeks of surviving in the Total Drama Jumbo Jet’s cargo hold and not being able to bother with personal hygiene, the homeschooled teen’s feet had become absolutely rancid, with a horrific smell even one of Owen’s power farts couldn’t have overpowered. As Cody reeled from the stench that had been shoved under his nose, Ezekial took complete advantage, yanking away the briefcase and leaping away. 

A look of unbridled glee filled the deranged boy’s olive colored face as he began to dance about with his prize, inhuman sounds of happiness escaping his lips as he hugged and caressed the case. Recovering from what he could only classify as an unfair biological attack on his person, Cody noticed that his assailant was doing his victory dance dangerously close to the edge of Killawaya’s crater.

“Zeke, be careful!” he yelled, trying to warn the demented prairie boy, but in his euphoria over having apparently captured the prize, Ezekial heard the warning not. Only a step or two later, the rim of the rumbling volcano gave way under his weight, and down the Zeke did fall, still clutching the briefcase. Cody scrambled back to the volcano’s edge, joined almost instantly by Chris, and watched as Ezekial landed in the lava, his face terrified as he sank beneath the rapidly rising molten rock. Even as he sank, the homeschooled teen tried valiantly to protect the prize money, holding it up even as his face sank beneath the lava.

“Huh-huh, wow,” McLean laughed rather cruelly before looking down at the World Tour Winner. “Sucks to be him, doesn’t it?” Another violent tremble rose from Killawaya as the lava level got inexorably closer to the top of the crater, several fiery rocks shooting into the air.

“Um, guys,” Cody called to his friends, “I think we should probably lea…” A glance over at the other end of the volcano crater indicated that the peanut gallery had not needed to be told this bit of information, as evidenced by the still spinning signs that marked their hasty egress. “Hmm,” the brunette huffed; just a little perturbed that no one had waited for him. Then he turned back to the host. “Chris, we need to get out of here before…” Needless to say, the cowardly Chris was no longer anywhere remotely near the erupting volcano. For a minute or two Cody simply stood there, as though unsure what to do next. This confusion was broken by the return of the voice in his head.

 _‘RUN YOU FREAKING MORON!!’_ Like a shot the seventeen year-old was off just as the lava began to spill over the top of the volcano, running as fast as his top of the line, ultra cool sneakers could carry him. It took him less than a minute of high-speed running to catch up to fleeing teens.

“Cody man, glad to see ya,” Owen huffed as he saw the brunette. “We were getting worried when we noticed you weren’t with us.”

“Yeah, I noticed by the dust clouds you all left behind,” Cody snipped back.

“Less talky, more runny,” Noah screamed in panic as he noticed the rapidly approaching lava. The flaming rocks Killawaya had shot into the air only moments ago were returning to Earth, striking the ground and leaving smoking craters as the former competitors dodged them.

“You realize of course,” Alejandro pointed out to his partner, “that you losing does not mean you still don’t owe me for all the help I gave you.”

“Yeah right. AH!” Heather shot back, ducking as a rock nearly struck her head. “Just try cashing in on that.” 

Meanwhile, on the refurbished and repurposed Boat of Losers, Chris watched as the twenty-two teens made it safely to the water before the lava could cook them all, a chuckle escaping his stubbly lips. With a satisfied smile on his face, he turned towards the camera.

“Well, looks like that’s a wrap for this season. But don’t worry all my loyal fans, we’ll be back next season for an all new game. Probably with a brand new cast too ‘cause, let’s face it, these kids are probably gonna get cooked. Ha-ha.” Nearby, the still frowning Chef merely shook his head at the tasteless joke, causing Chris to give him an annoyed look. “What? It’s funny.” Brushing off the bad-tempered co-host, McLean turned back to the camera. “Well, for me, Chef, and everyone here at Total Drama World Tour, this is your host Chris McLean signing…” Suddenly, the sound of screaming came to the handsome host’s ears. For a brief moment, he thought the fleeing contestants had gotten hurt or something, and silently cursed that there wasn’t enough tape left to record it, but a quick look over the edge of the boat revealed nothing to be amiss with the treading teens. On a hunch he looked up to see something rocketing through the sky. For a moment, Chris thought this to be simply another rock, but as it got closer, he realized how familiar this particular rock looked.

Apparently even the volcano had been unable to stomach the wretched creature Ezekial had become, having spit him out rather violently. The boy was still on fire and screaming, but he’d apparently regained enough of his senses to aim his descent right at the Boat of Losers. Realizing what was about the happen, Chris hastily got out of the way. For a moment, time seemed to slow down.

“YOU SUCK MCLEAN!” Ezekial yelled as he passed the handsome host, flipping him off just before he crashed through the deck of the boat and out through the bottom. As a fountain of water erupted from the hole and the Boat of Losers began to slowly sink beneath the waves, the annoyed look returned to Chris’s face.

“I really don’t like that guy,” he commented as he went under, the laughter of the castmates ringing in his ears.


	4. Epilogue

On the deck of the cruise ship “Wanderer of Paradise,” Cody was leaning against the guardrails that ran around the edge, gazing out into the ocean as the wind whipped through his hair. It had been a stroke of great luck the ship had been passing through and been able to pick them up, even more so that they’d had room to accommodate everybody. Total Drama Productions had made arrangements with the cruise company to get their former stars back to Canada, and in style no less. All of which was being paid for out of Chris’s salary.

Cody had to laugh at that.

Apparently attempting to abandon Sierra back in Drumheller out of spite had had more problems attached to it than merely ticking off the uber-fan’s mother. It had also managed to tick off her uncle, a rather vicious lawyer who’d been quite prepared to rake both Total Drama Productions and its sadistic little host over some very hot coals. The studio execs had chosen to throw McLean to the proverbial wolves, threatening to yank him from the next season if he didn’t play along. Even Courtney had had to give Sierra applause for that happy turn of events.

So now he leaned against the rail in a white T-shirt and baggy pants with flip-flops, the end result of the cruise ship offering the castaway cast-mates a change in clothes while theirs were cleaned.

Casually he scratched the left side of his chest. He had developed a sudden red rash over two circular patches of skin around his chest, hence why he’d gotten an oversized shirt. 

_‘Guess I can add coconut fur to the list of things I need to stay away from,’_ he thought as he continued to stare out at the setting sun.

The million dollars was gone. That was an irrefutable fact now. Cody had even talked to the show’s lawyers, but all he’d gotten was a lot of very big, legal sounding words that all seemed to boil down to “we gave you the money, it’s your fault you couldn’t hold on to it.” Not that that bothered the World Tour Winner all that much. He was upset, sure, who wouldn’t be, but the prize money had never been a huge factor for him. Sure it would have been nice to have, the young Mr. Anderson could just picture the awesome personal computer he could have created with that money, but losing it wasn’t exactly the end of his world. After all, it wasn’t like that would be the last million he’d ever see. Cody chuckled at his own private joke

The sound of wheels rolling alerted the teen to the fact that he was no longer alone, while a sudden urge to run told him who was joining him. To be fair, Sierra had calmed down somewhat since Cody had given her the title of his best friend, but old habits died hard. Plus he was fairly sure she was planning to pilfer his outfit from the ship’s laundry room to replace all the Cody-Keepsakes she’d lost when the jumbo jet had exploded.

“I’m getting better at finding you,” the girl said happily as she pulled her wheelchair, a quality one provided by the ship, up to sit next to her crush. She’d also gotten a wig apparently. As he looked at the hair that seemed to have been done in a vaguely familiar style, Cody couldn’t help but think that he missed the long, purple colored hair she’d once worn. .

“You look… good,” the tech-geek commented, trying to be supportive in case Sierra had grown attached to her new look. The injured girl blew a disinterested raspberry.

“Chris got this for me,” she stated, which explained where Cody had seen the style before, “I think he’s trying to butter me up so I’ll ask Uncle John to let him off the hook.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, its kinda funny watching him trip over himself trying to make nice after calling me all those mean names. Chef’s cracking up all over the place. Heather says I should make sure he puts me in the next season of Total Drama but…”

“But?”

“Well, the fan backlash Courtney got from forcing her way onto the second season was kinda intense. Plus, if he really is gonna use new contestants, that means you’re not gonna be there, so what’s the point?” A part of Cody felt that sentiment was just a bit creepy, but another part was somewhat flattered. It certainly wasn’t the most alarming thing she’d said to him.

“You should take it if you want,” he counseled. “I mean, just because I’m not gonna be there is no reason for you to give up stardom. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet your own sta… super-fan in the next season.” Silence returned as Cody went back to staring out at the water, Sierra joining him.

“So,” she finally began, “what’re you doing out here all alone?”

“Thinking, getting my bearings,” the brunette replied. “Extremely glad I decided to leave Jerry back at home when I joined this circus.”

“So that’s what happened. I was looking for that little emu everywhere, it would have made the best souven…” It was a sign of growth that Sierra realized just how bad it was that she’d been planning to steal something Cody had just said he’d been glad he’d kept from being destroyed. “Sorry, I guess I can’t help myself.”

“It’s all right. Not like you actually did it,” Cody reassured her, though his tone of voice did communicate the somewhat creeped out feeling he’d been having. Once the awkward moment passed, the gap-toothed geek opened his mouth again. “Y’know, I kinda wish I’d held on to a bit of that million dollars now, like maybe the bills I was rubbing myself with.”

“Why, something you wanna buy on the ship?” Sierra asked, already thinking of how she could use her newly acquired clout with Chris to get her would-be beau a gift to remember her by.

“Oh no, no. Nothing like that,” the World Tour Winner answered, unaware that Sierra’s face had fallen at that. “I mean, since this might be the last time we’re all together, it would have been nice to do something to commemorate the season? Maybe have a party or something since we might not see… each other… again?” It was then that Cody noticed something amiss; Sierra was no longer looking at him. Instead, she was gazing out at the ocean, or rather at the sky above the ocean. Curious, the tech-geek followed her line of sight.

Something was tumbling through the air in the dimming twilight, three somethings as a matter of fact, cart-wheeling on a breeze towards them. Cody reached out a hand to grab hold of the first of the papery objects, only to miss and have it smack him in the face. Ignoring the good-natured chuckle from Sierra, the young computer whiz peeled his catch off to examine it. His eyes grew wide as a smile came to his youthful face.

“Hey,” he exclaimed happily, “it’s one of the bills from the briefcase.” Indeed, though it was singed and covered in soot, the papery note was indeed one of the hundreds Chris had handed him back up on the volcano. As if drawn to their brother, the other two bills, both just as scorched and ashen as the first, wafted down to the teens.

“Wow, talk about lucky,” Sierra smiled as one of the bills landed on her chest. “And now at least now you’re not leaving empty handed.

“Eh, I didn’t think I was before,” the brunette reminded his number one fan as she handed him the bill. Then he kissed the c-notes. “But this does mean we can have some fun while we’re here.”

& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &

Later, with the sun having sunk beneath the waves for the day, the former contestants found themselves gathered around the door to Cody’s cabin. Several glaring eyes were shot back and forth between individual teens, but so far no one had done anything beyond a few snide remarks.

“So, anyone know why the pipsqueak told us all to come here?” Duncan finally asked, growing bored with simply waiting about.

“My invite was the same as yours,” Noah pointed out as he held up an index card. “‘Come to my cabin at eight, big surprise. Signed, Cody.’ Not the most articulate but it does sort of get the point across.” 

“All I can say is this better be worth my time,” Heather snipped, her nose in the air. “After the day I’ve had, I’ve earned a good night’s sleep on a real bed.”

“Surprised you showed up,” Gwen commented. “I’d have bet money on you and Al just ripping up your invites.”

“We are not the sort of people to hold a grudge my dear,” Alejandro explained. “If the winner of our little game wishes to see us with a big surprise, I am willing to humor him. But I would much appreciate it if you would refrain from calling me Al.”

“Yeah, after everything you did, that ain’t happenin’,” Duncan shot back. Before the two could get into a glaring match, the door to the cabin opened and a familiar head popped out.

“Cool, you’re all on time,” Cody said, as smile on his face as he greeted his guests. Sliding his thin frame from out of the door, the brunette quickly closed it behind him so no one could look inside. Of course, such strange behavior did not go unnoticed.

“So what’s going on Cody?” DJ asked. “I’d’ve thought you’d be tired out after all this.”

“Well, I couldn’t help thinking about what Chris said, back on the boat, about there being new competitors, and I realized, this may be our last chance to hang together.”

“Yes, because this is so a group of people I’m gonna wanna remember when I’m in therapy,” Noah said, though the smirk on his face seemed to say he meant this as a joke. Cody rolled his eyes at his fellow nerd and continued.

“Well, without going into too much detail, I thought it’d be cool if we had a party to celebrate the end of the season. “

“A party? That’s your big surprise, some geek-fest masquerading as a party?” Heather asked sharply. “You actually expect me to debase myself by willingly hanging out with a group of scruffy, no-talent, gutless…” At this point the Queen Bee’s shoulders slumped. “Oh who am I kidding, I could use a good time as much as anybody else.” Smiling at what he chose to take as an acceptance of his invitation, Cody reopened his cabin door.

No one had been quite sure how Cody had rated his own room while other members of the cast had had to share, though some thought another covert Cody-Fan had been involved. Inside all the furniture had been folded up and pushed back as far as it could go, while a single table had been set up with chips, dip, punch, and all sorts of other foods that were patently bad for the body but still beloved by people everywhere. There was even a tub of ice-cream and the fixings for sundaes.

“Will you hurry up and put that tack in!” Chef Hatchet barked as he held a ladder upon which Chris stood, trying to hang a big banner that said “Good-Bye For Now.” Nearby Sierra was watching as the duo tried their hand at decorating with a growing sense of mirth.

“Be patient, I’ve never done this sort of thing before. It’s not in my nature to do manual labor,” the beleaguered host said as he finally succeeded at his task. Then he looked down to Sierra. “This’ll square us with your uncle, right?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Where exactly does helping me decorate for a party fall on the scale with ‘breach of contract,’ ‘criminal negligence,’ and ‘attempted abandonment?’” she pointed out smugly. Chris groaned.

“I said I was sorry for that,” he whined. 

Once everyone had entered the room, Cody walked over to a small CD player he’d managed to scrounge up, putting a disk into it to officially start the party.

“Oh, I love this song,” Lindsay squealed, grabbing hold of Tyler as she pulled him onto the makeshift dance floor. “Come on Tyler, dance with me, we’d be so good.” The sporto chuckled as he let himself be led and they started to dance, joined almost immediately by Bridgette and Geoff who were holding each other so closely they might as well have been a single entity.

“I don’t suppose I can interest you in a dance,” Alejandro beckoned to Heather. The popular girl’s eyes narrowed, but there was a good-natured aspect to it that probably had not been seen in a very long time.

“I don’t know, are you any good? I seem to recall you falling all over the place on a certain train we were on,” she challenged. A look of mock offense came to the Spaniard’s face.

“Good? Good?” the mastermind asked as he placed a hand to his chest. “I would have you know I am considered the finest dancer in generations. People in Spain still speak of my legendary moves.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Heather told him as she took his hand. “After all, if you still expect me to come to your father’s party, it is absolutely essential that I have a good dance partner.”

“Oh indeed, indeed,” Alejandro agreed as they began. Nearby Noah watched this display, shaking his head as he did so.

“Why do I get the feeling I’ll be reading about their children amassing armies of evil in Rome some day?” he quipped to himself before lifting the new book he’d bought to his eyes. Suddenly a meaty hand forced the book downward as Owen’s happy face appeared in the brainiac’s field of vision.

“Come on little buddy, it’s a party! You can’t just spend the whole time buried in a book,” the blonde pointed out. 

“Sure I can, it’s easy, I just do this,” the Indian teen explained, demonstrating by pulling the book up again. “Besides, Noahs don’t dance.”

“Oh, you don’t have to feel embarrassed,” Owen comforted, suddenly grabbing his smaller friend’s thin wrist. “I’ll dance with ya and no one will notice.” A high-pitched yelp escaped the bookworm’s lips as he was yanked into a tight embrace and his chubby friend began to twirl them both around, heedless of the rhythm of the music. This went for about a minute before Owen found himself stopped by Eva of all people. 

“‘Scuse me.” With minimal effort the fitness buff extricated Noah from Owen’s grip, grabbing hold of the sarcastic one in her own vice-like grip. “Let’s you and me cut a rug, stud.”

“I think I’m being kidnapped,” Noah sarcastically yelled as he was taken back onto the dance floor. Owen, bereft now of his partner, watched with a disappointed frown as his little buddy was danced away. His smile returned as he spotted both Katie and Sadie standing by the sundae bar, each enjoying topping the other’s frozen treat with more and more sprinkles. Always one to turn lemons into tasty lemonade, the large teen strolled over to the two BFFs and offered his services. With a squeal of delight the trio went back onto the dance floor.

Cody watched this with a smile on his face, glad his friends were having a good time. A tap on his shoulder caused the World Tour Winner to turn around and, for the second time, find himself facing Ezekial.

The toque wearing teen, though the toque was quite absent now, looked much better than he had back at the volcano. After the crew of the Wanderer had fished him out of the ocean, they’d taken him directly to the medical bay. A few hours of care for malnourishment and various health disorders, plus a healthy dose of TV and a bath in Purrel, and he’d gotten back to normal, or at least as close as he normally came. Now he and Izzy stood before Cody, a somewhat hang dog expression on his face.

“Om, I joost wanted to say, ya know, I’m sorry, eh. Aboot the million and all.”

“Oh that…”

“I don’t know what came over me, eh,” the Zeke continued. “I joost saw that case and, well it was like a wild animal took over, eh. Boot I promise ya, I’m gonna pay ya back. Every penny.”

“That’s not really necessary…”

“No, no, a real man takes responsibility for his actions, eh, like my Dad says.” The prairie boy quickly began rifling through his pants, pushing the contents of his pockets into Cody’s hands. “Here’s the first installment of my payback, eh.” Cody looked down to see he’d been handed about two dollars in slightly distorted coins, along with a rather odd looking button.

“Zeke, I’m not gonna hold a million dollars over another guy’s head, especially when he was nuts,” Cody pointed out, handing back the money to his former rival. “But I will keep the button if you don’t mind. I think I know someplace it would probably look good.” Realizing he was being let off the proverbial hook, Ezekial smiled.

“Oh sure, sure, whatever you want eh,” he agreed, pocketing the money as he did so. Being willing to pay back the prize money didn’t necessarily mean he’d looked forward to a lifetime of making payments to the older boy, and quite frankly this was something of a relief to the home-schooled boy.

“Great, now that that’s over with, let’s go have some fun,” Izzy declared, grabbing Ezekial as she led him over to the partying teens. Without warning, the crazy girl began to dance the Charleston, completely throwing off the moves of the other dancers, even as her partner attempted to copy her. LeShawna watched this with a mixture of pity and amusement, then turned her eyes to her own date for the evening, at which point pity began to overwhelm her. Harold had apparently adapted his kung-fu skills to dancing, as evidenced by the punches and kicks he was doing in tune to the music. Shrugging her shoulders, the urban goddess began to follow his movements, creating a rather interesting tandem martial arts demonstration. 

His eyes traveling to the next pair, Cody found his smile faltering as a pang of jealousy appeared in his stomach. Gwen looked beautiful, even without her normal black dress. If there had been one person, one thing, on which the World Tour Winner would have spent all of his million dollar prize on, it would have been her heart. But she was with Duncan now, as evidenced by the punk holding her in his arms as they moved together. As they turned about with Gwen’s back to him, Cody couldn’t help but notice the warning look the juvenile shot him. 

_‘Not fair,’_ the brunette thought as he defiantly continued to watch. Well, they still had a few days on the ship before they made it back to Canada. There was always a chance he could still find some way to woo her. Like a warm hug, the pleasant dream Cody had often had of himself and Gwen running to each other in a field of flowers came to his mind’s eye.

“Ya know, there is an old saying that does kinda fit here,” Chris’s voice snapped him out of his daydream. “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with. Particularly if she’s a hottie who will do anything for you.” The host clicked his tongue as his eyes pointed over to where Sierra sat in her wheelchair, her arms shaking back and forth as she swayed to the music. An annoyed look crossed Cody’s youthful features.

“Now are you saying this because you genuinely want to make me feel better,” the brunette began, “or because you’re hoping if you’re the one who gets me to start dating Sierra, she’ll put a massive win in you ‘good guy’ column?” A nervous laugh escaped Chris’s lips as he began to back away.

“Ha, come on Cody-bro, you know me,” he said, pointing finger-guns at the teen. “I’d never steer someone wrong… OW!” As he’d backtracked, McLean had accidentally wandered into the vicinity of Ezekial, who’d managed to kick out and strike his former tormentor right in the butt. Chris favored the homeschooled teen with an angry glare.

“Oops, sorry aboot that, bro-eh,” Ezekial apologized with a smile. “You know what an uncoordinated, dunce-cap I am, eh.” As he said this, Izzy favored Chris with a look daring him to challenge the prairie boy’s claim. Over by the snack table, Chef let out a laugh as he watched the scene play out. Soon the laughter was joined by all of the other partygoers. As he watched his friends having a good time, Cody reached into his pockets, pulling out the twenty he’d had left over from his three hundred dollars.

“No doubt about it, that was a fortune well spent.” With that, he replaced the money and walked out onto the dance floor.

The End.


End file.
